‘Poe’ musical gets CD and DVD release

Woolfson tuner sets its sights on the U.S.

A CD and DVD of the musical “Poe,” from Alan Parsons Project songwriter Eric Woolfson, will be released next month as part of a push to drum up interest in a U.S. staging of the tuner.

“Poe” was first seen in a 2003 showcase that was performed in front of an audience at Abbey Road Studios. The CD and DVD are recordings of the event, which starred Steve Balsamo (“Jesus Christ Superstar”).

A German-language incarnation of “Poe” is currently playing outside Berlin.

Musicals penned by Woolfson, who died late last year, have been produced in Europe and Asia, but none have made it Stateside. The 2007 offering “Dancing Shadows,” with book by Ariel Dorfman, picked up five awards at Korea’s version of the Tonys.

“Poe,” a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s biography with songs about some of his best-known stories, repped a return to familiar subject matter for Woolfson. His long partnership with Alan Parsons, who recorded under the name Alan Parsons Project, commenced with a 1976 album titled “Tales of Mystery and Imagination — Edgar Allan Poe.”

Full title of the musical is “Poe, More Tales of Mystery and Imagination.”

Woolfson’s daughter Sally Woolfson, managing director of Woolfsongs Ltd., said the composer had written “Poe” specifically with the U.S. market in mind.

The CD and DVD will be released through Limelight Records April 6, in the hopes that it will help reps for Woolfson’s family attract producers to the project.